However, with help from doctors and nurses, his condition rapidly improved and he was discharged from hospital on Feb 26. After remaining in an isolation facility for 14 days, he will be able to return home. No one else in the family was infected.

Gong said, "The epidemic and lockdown has made me feel deeply connected with Wuhan. I've never felt this way before. Even hearing people swearing in the city dialect makes me feel warm."

Although Wuhan has been isolated, people and organizations nationwide have been sending supplies to the city. These include mutton from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, apples from Shaanxi province and hotpot seasoning from Sichuan province. These voluntary contributions have been made to ensure people in Wuhan are able to enjoy good meals at a time when many agricultural and commercial activities are suspended.

More hospital beds subsequently became available and medical teams from around the country arrived in Wuhan to help.

On Feb 11, stricter measures were imposed in the city, with all housing estates sealed off to outsiders, and only residents holding passes allowed to enter or leave. Groceries can only be delivered to residents on request by a designated person.

On Feb 14, Ye, from the Hubei Statistics Bureau, wrote in his diary: "It is as if we must turn off a running tap so we can clean up water that's already been spilled on the floor. If we cannot minimize the number of new infections, it will be difficult to end the epidemic, no matter how much effort the medical workers have put in. Such measures should be introduced sooner, rather than later. I hope this can be a valuable lesson for the authorities in the future."

Xiao, the psychologist, said that after seeing that the epidemic control measures had taken effect and patients had received proper treatment, people in Wuhan felt a "sense of relief and reassurance".

"They no longer called us about concerns over the virus and treatment. Instead, they began to worry about their jobs," Xiao said. "Many people have received less or no income due to the lockdown, especially those from low-income families. It's a big problem."